Fans of "Arrested Development" will, in fact, get to see the show's final four episodes this season. Given where FOX has scheduled them, though, it seems rather certain that not many others will.
FOX aired what felt like a finale on Jan. 2. The episode, titled "SOBs" -- short for Save Our Bluths, which is also the name of a fan web site trying to save the show -- stuck to "Arrested's" deeply self-referential guns by mocking both the conventions of ratings-grabbing stunts and its own insular nature ("Maybe we're not that likable," Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) tells his family at one point). But the network has decided to air the season's final four episodes in one two-hour block Friday, Feb. 10. That night also happens to feature the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on NBC, an event that is likely to dominate the ratings that night.
The final four episodes of the season will feature guest appearances by Justine Bateman, Jason's sister, and Judge Reinhold, also seen in the "SOBs" episode (indicating that it may have aired out of sequence). Justine Bateman will play a woman who Michael believes may be his long-lost sister Nellie, while Reinhold plays himself, hired by the family's new lawyer to act as a judge in a mock trial to help the Bluths prepare for a real court case.
The episodes will also feature Gob (Will Arnett) traveling to Iraq to perform a Christian magic act, which lands him in prison; Buster (Tony Hale) faking a coma to avoid testifying in the family's court case; and George Michael (Michael Cera) and Maeby (Alia Shawkat) taking part in a mock wedding to entertain hospital patients. The whole thing ends up at a yacht party, which is where the series started. The episodes could well be the last to air on FOX, which ordered only 13 shows this season. ABC and Showtime have reportedly expressed interest in picking up "Arrested Development," but for now the show's fate remains up in the air.
FOX aired what felt like a finale on Jan. 2. The episode, titled "SOBs" -- short for Save Our Bluths, which is also the name of a fan web site trying to save the show -- stuck to "Arrested's" deeply self-referential guns by mocking both the conventions of ratings-grabbing stunts and its own insular nature ("Maybe we're not that likable," Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) tells his family at one point). But the network has decided to air the season's final four episodes in one two-hour block Friday, Feb. 10. That night also happens to feature the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on NBC, an event that is likely to dominate the ratings that night.
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The final four episodes of the season will feature guest appearances by Justine Bateman, Jason's sister, and Judge Reinhold, also seen in the "SOBs" episode (indicating that it may have aired out of sequence). Justine Bateman will play a woman who Michael believes may be his long-lost sister Nellie, while Reinhold plays himself, hired by the family's new lawyer to act as a judge in a mock trial to help the Bluths prepare for a real court case.
The episodes will also feature Gob (Will Arnett) traveling to Iraq to perform a Christian magic act, which lands him in prison; Buster (Tony Hale) faking a coma to avoid testifying in the family's court case; and George Michael (Michael Cera) and Maeby (Alia Shawkat) taking part in a mock wedding to entertain hospital patients. The whole thing ends up at a yacht party, which is where the series started. The episodes could well be the last to air on FOX, which ordered only 13 shows this season. ABC and Showtime have reportedly expressed interest in picking up "Arrested Development," but for now the show's fate remains up in the air.
